If you’ve been in an accident that wasn’t your fault and it resulted in a spine or spinal cord injury, you may be eligible for compensation to cover your losses and suffering.
Spinal injury claims can be made in a variety of instances, with causes ranging from employer negligence in the workplace and unmaintained public pavements to surgical or other medical negligence.
No matter the cause of your injury, if your spinal injury was caused as a result of someone else’s negligence, our solicitors at Hay & Kilner are here to give you the support you need and seek the justice you deserve.
Spinal injury claims are used by individuals to seek compensation for spine-related injuries. A spine injury encompasses any trauma, disease, or medical error which causes damage to the spinal cord or its surrounding nerves. These injuries can vary in severity, ranging from brief discomfort to lifelong paralysis.
To make a valid spinal injury claim, the person’s injury must have been caused, at least in some part, by someone else’s negligence.
Successful spinal injury claims offer claimants a financial award, which covers both general (non-economic losses, like pain and suffering) and special damages (financial losses, such as loss of earnings, medical expenses, and damage to personal property).
This amount can vary, depending on the suffering and losses you have experienced as a result of your injury.
If you have suffered a spinal injury through no fault of your own, our experienced solicitors are here to support you and guide you through every step of your spinal cord injury claim.
After an accident, doctors tend to use a spinal injury classification to assess the extent of the damage caused. As such, you can expect your compensation amount to vary depending on severity.
Some of the most common types of spinal injuries include:
However, it’s important to note that any spinal injury, regardless of severity, may be eligible for compensation as long as it was caused (either in part or fully) by someone else’s negligence.
As previously mentioned, this negligence can occur in many different settings. Common causes include accidents at work, road traffic accidents, and cases of surgical negligence or misdiagnosis.
If you’ve suffered from a spinal injury due to someone else’s negligence, it’s natural to want to know whether you are eligible to seek compensation. We recommend:
Before anything else, seek the medical opinion of a professional as soon as you feel able to. They can provide a confirmed injury diagnosis and begin the best course of treatment for your needs.
Your medical documents will also play a huge role as evidence if you decide to pursue a claim.
A claim can only be made if your spinal injury was someone else’s fault — either fully or partly. This is why it’s important to ascertain how your spinal injury accident happened.
If you have received a documented medical diagnosis from a healthcare professional and can prove that your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you will likely be eligible to make a claim.
All claims are subject to a Limitation Period, and it’s important to adhere to the limits set out within the Limitation Period to avoid waiving your right to pursue a claim and missing out on the compensation you deserve.
In most cases, you have three years from the date of your injury to make a claim. In cases where your injury wasn’t immediately obvious, this period begins from the date you first became aware, or suspected, that your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence.
However, there are some exceptions to the three-year limitation rule. For instance, if a minor (person under 18 years of age) suffers a spinal injury, the three-year period doesn’t start until their 18th birthday, giving them until the eve of their 21st birthday to make a claim. For those who lack the mental capacity to make a claim themselves, the three year period will not start to run until/if they regain capacity.
Learn more: Is it too late to bring a clinical negligence claim?
Bringing a spinal injury claim doesn’t have to be daunting or complicated, especially when you have the right legal support by your side.
At Hay & Kilner, we’ll guide you through every step of your claim with care, compassion, and expertise to give you the best chance of success. We will always have your best interests at heart and represent you throughout the whole process.
Initial consultation: A conversation with a member of our friendly team covering what happened, how it happened, and whether we think you’re eligible to make a claim.
Evidence gathering: If eligible, we’ll begin collecting evidence to support your claim. This can be in the form of medical records, external expert reports, pictures, CCTV footage, witness accounts, and more.
Filing the claim: We’ll send a formal letter of claim to the responsible party, detailing why you’re claiming for your injuries and the allegations of negligence.
Negotiations: If the responsible party admits liability, we’ll always try to work with the responsible party through negotiation to reach a fair settlement. This is how most spinal injury claims are resolved, especially in cases where strong evidence is obtained.
Court proceedings: If negotiations fail and/or the responsible party disputes liability, our solicitors will gather further evidence with a view to issuing proceedings at Court and take steps in preparation for Trial. We will keep you updated at every stage possible for reassurance and complete transparency.
At Hay & Kilner, we proudly offer no-win, no-fee legal services with an impressive track record. This means that it shouldn’t cost you anything to file a spinal injury claim with us.
We also pride ourselves on offering personalised legal services tailored to your exact spinal injury type. Here are just a few examples of specific claims our spinal injury claim solicitors can process on your behalf:
If you need more information before you make your claim or you’d like to arrange your free, no-obligation initial consultation with our team, please contact us today using our quick online enquiry form or by calling us on 0191 232 8345. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible to discuss your next steps.
Our regular updates keep you up to date with all the latest legal developments you need to know about.
Send your query by clicking below and one of the team will be back in touch as soon as possible.